There has been much consternation in recent weeks about the amount of standardised testing the British government is determined to impose upon English school children. Children don’t learn any more or any better because of standardised testing, unless there is feedback on how they can improve. But SATs seem to be the weapon of choice…
Classroom technology is everywhere. Schools are filled with shiny, interactive devices, and new gadgets and apps flood the market every day. Teachers in districts with limited funding for technology are turning to crowdfunding sources to obtain technology for their classrooms. But is technology the panacea that we’re all searching for? Source: Five Myths About Classroom…
Students today are stressed out about grades, more so than ever before. A few months ago I published a post (here) with evidence that this is so for college students. Many students responded to that post with comments about how their parents, teachers, and society in general are telling them that their future depends on…
Learning from failure has become a popular idea in education recently, partly because it feels like common sense to many people. In a general way, the idea of “picking yourself up after a fall” has long existed in American culture as in many other parts of the world. Teachers are hoping that if they can…
Sleep (mis)management, at one level, is obviously an individual issue, part of a larger energy-management challenge that also includes other forms of mental relaxation, such as mindfulness and meditation, as well as nutrition and physical activity. But in an increasingly hyperconnected world, in which many companies now expect their employees to be on call and…
While a recent poll showed 9 out of 10 teachers do not use social media in the classroom, there are teachers who are. Social doesn’t have to be a distraction and kids can be safe. Let’s dive into ten ways teachers have used social media in the classroom to enhance learning. These are some of…
#LearningIs making | Learning with ‘e’s Learning where children create meaningful products, Nick said, is a more powerful way of learning, because they need to negotiate the problems and challenges as they develop their skills to make. This echoes the work of Seymour Papert who argued that the best kinds of learning occur when children…
4 Reasons That Technology Might Not Be Helping Them Learn – I know because I’m one of those “mistake-making teachers.” I’ve taught students of all ability-levels; I’m now serving as an instructional specialist in a 1:1 school district; I’m a parent of three amazing children who, like my students, have very different capacities for learning….
Why Pedagogy First, Tech Second Stance is Key to the Future | EdTech Magazine While I am a huge advocate for the purposeful integration of technology in schools, we must resist the temptation to think that this is the solution to solve all the ills in our current education system. What concerns me most is…
5 Best Practices to Globalize Your School | Getting Smart Although we know what a modern education can and should look like, we struggle to provide equitable opportunities for all students. Global learning experiences in particular stand out as an element of a rigorous education that is common to some students fortunate enough to attend…